Paris, June 7. German great Alexander Zverev scored his most spectacular victory late Sunday evening on the red gravel surface of Roland Garros, where he had suffered heartbreaking defeats in his last 10 attempts.
After winning the first major trophy of his career by defeating Italian Flavio Coboli in five sets in the four-and-a-quarter hour long final of the French Open, the second Grand Slam tennis tournament of the year, Zverev admitted, ‘This trophy is very important for me because if I had lost this match, my confidence would have gone down a lot. But now that I’ve won it, I think I can do it again.
10 years of waiting and title success in 41st Grand Slam main draw
Luck seemed to be on the 29-year-old Hamburger’s side in his 41st Grand Slam main draw and fourth major singles final. As soon as he fell on the clay court, a heavy burden was lifted from his shoulders and he celebrated the moment for which he had been waiting for 10 years.
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‘No matter what happens now, i will always be a grand slam champion‘
Zverev said, ‘No matter what happens now, I will always be a Grand Slam champion, and no one can take that away from me. Maybe this gives me some freedom. Maybe when I play the final, my mind will be a little calmer. That means even if I lose, I will still be a Grand Slam champion.
One last grueling of competition, check out the best moments by @emirates
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To be honest, this big victory on Sunday is like the biggest success of Zverev’s professional career and the end of a long wait. Only Goran Ivanisevic took longer (48 attempts) to win his first major title in the men’s singles main draw. Whereas in Paris, Novak Djokovic had to play 12 times to win his first title, which is more than Zverev (11 times).
Zverev creates history with first Grand Slam title at Roland Garros, first German man of Open era to lift French Open trophy
‘I have spent some of the toughest moments of my tennis career on this court’
Zverev explained the complexity of his emotions, saying, ‘When I was lying on the ground, all the emotions came out because I feel that this court is very, very special to me. It is special in a very positive way, but also special in a negative way because I have spent some of the toughest moments of my tennis career here. I was lying on this court with an injury and I didn’t know if I would ever come back. I also lost a Grand Slam final here. For me, all those memories have not disappeared. They are still with me, but this victory will weigh heavily on all of them.
Runner-up Flavio Coboli said – this is just the beginning
At the same time, 24-year-old Italian Flavio Coboli, who emerged victorious despite presenting a tough challenge in his first Grand Slam final, said that this is just the beginning and he still has a long way to go. It’s undoubtedly sad to lose in your first Grand Slam final, but Koboli urged his supporters to celebrate and smile about the best two weeks of his life rather than wallow in Sunday’s five-set loss to Alexander Zverev.
‘I want to enjoy every moment I spend on the court with a smile’
“I started playing tennis at a young age and never expected such results, but now that I’m here I want to do something special because it’s not over for me,” Koboli said. This is just the beginning and I’m still young. I just want to enjoy every moment I spend on the court with a smile.
‘Sasha has been playing here for 10 years, he really deserved the victory’
Koboli, who reached the quarterfinals of a major (Wimbledon) for the first time last year, said about Zverev, ‘After all, he won, so he is the rightful owner of the victory. But I also said that he deserves it because Sasha (Zverev’s popular name) has been playing here for 10 years and has achieved many great results. I think he deserves to win a Grand Slam for everything he has done in his career.
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